Meetings Blog Feb 07, 2017
The breaks work to replenish the energies of the participants so that they can stay focused, attentive and productive during the event. Furthermore, what happens between the different sessions can also be very valuable with respect to the general experience of the attendees. Try these ideas for original meeting breaks to revitalize the work day:
1-Provide unique spaces for your breaks: Rest areas are critical to controlling stress, fostering team spirit, and maintaining high productivity.
A good way to have a unique space can be to recreate natural spaces: how about an authentic ice kingdom with snow, sleds to sit on, an igloo and even some penguins?
2-Attract attention with food: What we eat influences how we think and feel physically. Thus, food plays an important role in being receptive during a long conference day.
Refreshing foods such as fruits and vegetables help replenish energy and your guests’ attention won’t be affected by heavy digestion. Of course it’s important to have enough to drink, especially water, in order to stay properly hydrated. If you want to get your participants’ attention even more, you can offer food with a theme or typical local specialties.
Cuisine is fashionable, so a chef’s culinary exhibition or a simple express cuisine workshop in which the attendees themselves prepare part of what they are going to eat afterwards, is perfect. Cooking is something cultural and also emotional, an activity where you can take refuge and that allows you to disconnect for a pleasant, relaxing and almost therapeutic time.
3-Breaks with movement: During conferences, the guest participation can be very static, so it’s a good idea to balance that immobility.
Dynamic activities as original as remote control car races or a small golf circuit for example, will make your guests feel renewed vigor.
4- Relaxing activities: Who doesn’t want a relaxing massage? It’s gratifying and pleasurable stimulation for the senses when you need a break. Another very good option is to offer a guided workshop like yoga, mindfulness, meditation or laugh therapy, with useful little guidelines that your guests can incorporate into their daily lives later on to relieve stress.
5-Original activities: But if what we want is to guarantee a unique experience, by offering a performance of local music or dance will undoubtedly be an unforgettable experience for attendees.
One way to involve the audience is to propose a challenge like a scavenger hunt that will certainly awaken the collaborative spirit of the participants to meet the challenge.
Tap into your guests’ creative side with some kind of craft that the participants do themselves and then take home. It will be the perfect souvenir of a memorable day! It’s also been shown that gamification helps to attract attendees’ attention and influences their behavior. That’s why, if you introduce a customized dynamic game that incorporates new technologies, you’ll create a different and innovative experience. Of course, don’t forget to have a few prizes for the winners, since the rewards are unique motivational tools.
As you can see, there are many ways to revitalize your guests between meetings. Give them a rest that includes content and make use of the breaks to leave your mark.
